Backrest support of aviation seating system is traditionally made from rigid diaphragm, the design consideration of which has been primarily due to efforts in meeting flammability and load bearing compliance to aircraft interiors' cabin safety regulations.
However, the rigid diaphragm construction increases the weight to the entire seating system, and therefore increases the associated operational costs from heavier payload. Moreover, the stiff nature of this form of solution may cause passenger discomfort, which is highly undesirable especially for long flight. The compensation usually comes in the form of thicker backrest cushion. This in turn adds on cushion weight and is poorer aesthetically as well.
As an alternative to the rigid diaphragm, suspension fabric material has been introduced to backrest supports. Such integration reduces overall seating system weight by reducing the amount of foams in the backrest cushion.
Compared to rigid diaphragm, the stretchable suspension fabric may be poorer in maintaining its elasticity in fatigue aspect, and this requires replacement as part of maintenance effort. Furthermore, the fabric is unable to hold required contour due to its inherent properties, unlike sheet metal solutions. The existing installation methods include a “wrapped-around” method. FIG. 1 illustrates the wrapped-around installation 100, wherein the suspension fabric 102 is wrapped around a seatback frame 104. Using the wrapped-around method, it may be difficult to install or remove the suspension fabric assemblies, and their installation/removal processes may induce high stress on the seatback frame.
The wrapped-around method using a suspension fabric provided with zippers thereon may make it easier to install or remove the suspension fabric than the wrapped-around method of FIG. 1 using a suspension fabric without zippers, but the reliability of the system is subject to zipper's performances. In addition, such installation may not optimize the space utilization between the seatback frame.